Find Your Happiness

I do not even know where to begin to express how happy our home is at this moment. After 178 days, Dean is finally back from his deployment in the Middle East.  My husband is home!  The past six months weren't always easy and definitely had its challenges. But it is true what they say: once it's over, you are finally able to take a deep breath and feel, "hey, that wasn't  too  bad."   I survived. We survived. We made it. The kids are beyond ecstatic to have the "fun" parent back. Nathaniel is non-stop talking his Daddy's ears off---gotta make up for all those lost time! And Amelia, while still a little shy, is stuck on him like glue. Hubs can't leave the room or she will start crying! And I am just so happy and thankful to have my partner and best friend back safely. Nathaniel said it best:  "Our family is whole again."

Welcome to Life {Unscripted} blog circle! I am so honored to be a part of a team of very talented lifestyle photographers. We have a passion for capturing raw, honest and unplanned photographs and we created this community so you would hopefully  be inspired and join us  in documenting your lives {unscripted}. And a special thank you if you are here visiting from Chrissy! Here is a glimpse of my life {unscripted} for August 2015: And if you have a chance, please visit Sharon Covert Photography !

Today was Nathaniel's first day of kindergarten. All summer long, he was so excited to be moving up a class. He was looking forward to eating at the cafeteria and playing at the big gym. However, this morning, he had a little breakdown. He was crying because he said he will miss me! To be honest, I was a little worried too because this year is his first full day school. Thankfully, Hubs Skyped for a little bit and was able to lift Nathaniel's spirit. And just as I expected, Nathaniel completely forgot about me as soon as he saw his friends at the bus stop. I even had to beg him for a hug and kiss goodbye. And Nathaniel had a good, successful first day. I can't believe how fast he is growing!

Amelia loves to play in the water as long as it is not the pool. We learned that quickly during swim lessons! I took photos with my iPhone first of Amelia playing with the water hose with my Lola before grabbing the big camera. However, I remember giving up quickly because Amelia kept giving me a super exaggerated "eeeeeeese" (cheese) smile. And I couldn't back up enough without the thorny bushes hitting me to compose the shot and not cut off her foot. I'm sure fellow photogs are the only ones bothered about that last one. Haha! (Side note: I can see now that her gums are swollen because all four of her canines were/are growing. They gave all of us a rough time later!) (Side note #2: You can spy Amelia's café au lait spot. We wondered how big her birthmark will get. But based on her last few doctor/well baby visits, it hasn't grown in a while. So I guess that is it!) This moment comes in a full circle. I remember seeing photos of me aroun...

It seems like we bring the rain wherever we go. Before we left NC to go to IN last month , it rained everyday in North Carolina. When we were in Indiana, it rained most of the days, which allowed us to enjoy the splash park just once. (And it was even just the day before we left!) And now that we are back here, it's raining again. All day. Everyday. Well, not all day. But it sure feels like it! Amelia went straight to this little rain puddle when we played outside yesterday night. I figured, why not. The kids need a bath anyway. I also took a video but it's shaky and awful focusing on my part. I am not good at videography at all but it's too adorable not to share. And as I was uploading the video, I remembered I took photos of Nathaniel almost at the same age playing in the rain puddle , too. :)

We spent the entire month of July in Indiana and it still felt like it wasn't enough days to squeeze in and see/spent time with everyone.  My Lola is visiting from the Philippines and the last time she was here , Nathaniel was only seven months old. Now she has six great-grandchildren ages six and under! My Dad also drove up from Louisiana and it was really good seeing him again. Unfortunately, Amelia and I didn't get to spent time as much with him as Nathaniel did because Amelia came down with something. (We quarantined her away from baby Lucy in case it was something more serious.) We did swim lessons again at Butler University and ended the #stlouisfamgoestoindy trip with an early birthday dinner for my mother-in-law.